Zimbabwe has been ranked third among the least free countries in Southern Africa but it is not among the 39 least free countries in the world, according to the latest Freedom House 2026 Freedom in the World report.
It scored only 25 out of 100, while the 39 least free countries scored 21 points and below, with Sudan anchoring the list at zero.
Only the Democratic Republic of Congo, which scored 18 points and Eswatini 17, are worse off than Zimbabwe in Southern Africa.
The Freest country in the region is Mauritius with 87 points, followed by South Africa and the Syechelles which are tied at 81 points.
South Africa was at par with the United States which scored 81, its lowest on record,
According to the report the US score has slipped by 12 points over the past two decades, driven by rising polarization and political violence.
“The 2025 decline was caused in part by government efforts to crack down on nonviolent expression by citizens and noncitizens alike,” the report says.
“The weakening of anticorruption safeguards and enforcement practices by the new US presidential administration was also cited as contributing to the lower score compared to previous years.”
The report says that the lowest-ranked countries were concentrated across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where elections are restricted, opposition movements are suppressed, and civil liberties remain severely limited.
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